Tell us a little about the history of BioWales?

It started in 2002 as a very small conference with the help of friends and "family" and was mainly centred on bioscience research in Wales, for academia and industry to get to know each other. There had never been a conference like this before in Wales.

What was it like in 2002 and how does that compare to what's planned for 2010?

The first event had 170 delegates, and it was held at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff, on a very tight budget, so tight in fact my co organiser's father helped with the catering and this was a great success! We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback.

It took us 18 months to get a budget and arrange the next BioWales. This took place in 2004 and was a much bigger event. It has been an annual event with increased delegate numbers year- on - year ever since. BioWales 2010 is going to be our biggest yet!

The brokerage event was introduced in 2004, and that too has grown to become a substantial part of BioWales.

Tell us about your expectations for this year's event?

Firstly, it's in a new, larger venue (at the Vale Hotel's conference facilities). We are expecting increased numbers of delegates to attend from England and Europe now that we are established, and on the bio-technology and science calendar.

Secondly, there will be more people looking for deals, and we envisage an increase in the number of technology partnerships being brokered at the event.

What is the hardest thing in organising an event like this?

Getting people to stick to deadlines! To put a brokerage event together there's a good six months lead-in. To get all 305 profiles assessed and validated by February involves a lot of communication!

What are the kind of outcomes that people can expect out of the brokerage event?

We get 6 monthly feedback from delegates. The brokerage event has produced a growing number of deals and collaborative projects. There have also been successful collaborations for DTI programmes and EU framework projects.

Also, if you are looking to get into Europe, the brokerage event attracts SMEs, large business organisations, and collaborators from Europe - an excellent venue for networking.

What can people look forward to?

We are very accommodating, and can even help people arrange meetings on the day of the event. We put together a catalogue of technology profiles, arrange your one to one meetings and provide vital introductions.

I look forward to meeting this coming year's delegates and don't forget to register for both the conference and the brokerage event.

Biographical notes:

Dr Sharon Thomas graduated with a BSc in Applied Biology from Cardiff University in 1980 and a PhD from the University of Wales College of Medicine in 1983. Following graduation Dr Thomas held a number of post doctoral research positions in the Welsh Medical and Dental schools working on projects for Schering Plough, Nobel Pharma and the British Heart Foundation. She has worked for the Welsh Development Agency since 1992, initially on a consultancy basis, and since 1999 as the Welsh Development Agency's and now the Welsh Assembly Government’s Healthcare and Life Science Specialist driving the expansion of this sector in Wales. Dr Thomas is currently a member of the Executive Group of MediWales, PETRE and SATRE.

The Arthritis Research Campaign has awarded Cardiff University £2.5 million over 5 years to establish a national centre of excellence in Biomechanics and Bioengineering. Further funding from the University of £7.5 million will drive forward the centre’s research over the next decade.

Read full story here at www.walestrade.com

Nobel Prize for Medicine recipient Professor Sir Martin Evans was the first scientist to identify embryonic stem cells, which can be adapted for a wide variety of medical purposes. His discoveries are now being applied in virtually all areas of biomedicine - from basic research to the development of new therapies. Sir Martin of Cardiff University and CEO of Cell Therapy Ltd, has been described by The Independent as one of ‘ten Britons who have

shaped our world, and he appeared at BioWales in 2008.

Anthony Davies completes the line-up for the Stem Cells session of the conference, as Vice President of Product Development at Geron, a role he has held since 2006, directing the company's product development activities for cell therapies in both the oncology and regenerative medicine departments.

Event project manager Dr. Sharon Thomas said: "The presence of these high profile Stem Cell experts Dr. Stephen Minger Prof. Evans and Anthony Davies gives a great deal of international prestige to BioWales and enhances our reputation as one of the UK's foremost bioscience events. Their area of  expertise is a key theme for this year, and of particular relevance to Wales."

BioWales 2010 will feature:                                                       

- a conference programme

- a BioPartnering event with pre-arranged, one-to-one brokerage meetings to discuss potential  collaboration projects and new technologies

-  an exhibition and networking opportunity to share ideas and build profile

Themes featuring at BioWales 2010 are:

• stem cells
• translational research
• point of care diagnostics
• cancer genetics                                                            
• Futurewatch - a regular annual feature that highlights the next big thing in life sciences                                                                

New for 2010 is a series of workshops built into the programme. These cover the topics of FP7 R&D funding from the EU; finance; and opportunities in Wales, where 330 companies employ over 15,000 people and contribute more than £1.3bn to the Welsh economy, programme at the Vale Hotel & Resort, with a session that focuses on the latest academic and industrial R&D programmes and developments before an international, commercial and academic audience of 400 delegates.

Stephen Minger, Head of Research and Development for Cell Technologies at GE Healthcare describes Stem Cell technology as “the landmark development for 21st century medicine”, offering advances in drug research and development and the potential for regeneration of a number of different tissues and organs susceptible to age related degenerative conditions and traumatic injury. Dr. Minger’s presentation at BioWales charts the therapeutic and scientific potential of stem cells back to bone marrow transplantation in the 1960s. He says: “In the not-too-distant future, it may be possible to repair heart tissue damaged by myocardial infarction, to replace neuronal cells lost in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, to transplant new insulin producing cells for diabetics and myelinating cells for individuals afflicted with multiple sclerosis, and to replace bone and cartilage lost through aging and inflammatory disease.

“In addition, drug researchers are hoping to revolutionize drug discovery and investigation using the potential of specific subtypes of human cells to enhance the understanding of disease at a cellular level. This, combined with the emerging field of Regenerative Medicine will fundamentally alter research as well as clinical medicine and significantly influence our perceptions of aging, health and disease, with a myriad of consequences for society at large.”

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones will open this year's BioWales, the eighth annual bioscience event at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel on March 17 (www.biowalesevent.com), just months after being elected leader of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Reflecting the significance of the life sciences industry to Wales, Mr. Jones follows his predecessor the Rt. Hon. Rhodri Morgan AM by making the opening address at an event which showcase the bioscience sector in Wales to an international, commercial and academic audience of 400 delegates with a brokerage event and exhibition, and a conference covering hot topics such as stem cells, in which a great deal of work is currently taking place in Wales.

The life sciences in Wales are represented by 330 companies, employing over 15,000 people and contributing more than £1.3bn to the Welsh economy. BioWales 2010 takes place at the Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort near Cardiff on March 17 and 18, and has grown into an international event comprising a major exhibition and a biopartnering section, which has been expanded to allow even more than the 350 one-to-one meetings that took place last year.

The First Minister said: "The life sciences industry is already an increasingly important part of the Welsh economy with more than 15,000 people employed in the sector.  BioWales 2010 will not only highlight the innovative developments already being carried out here, but also help to encourage even more companies to come and set up bases here in Wales." 

This year's conference will be looking at the hot topics in the sector, amongst them the key theme of stem cells industrialisation for drug development and therapy, with a line-up of eminent speakers including Nobel Prize for Medicine winner Professor Sir Martin Evans, Professor of Mammalian Genetics at Cardiff University and CEO of Cell Therapy Ltd; Stephen Minger, Head of Research and Development for Cell Technologies at GE Healthcare; and Anthony Davies, VP Product Development at Geron.                        

Event project manager Dr. Sharon Thomas said: "We are delighted to welcome the First Minister to open BioWales 2010, showing how important the life sciences industry is to Wales, and how the reputation of this event has developed over eight years to become one of the largest UK bioscience  events outside London. Again we have lined up a high quality speaker programme, a vibrant trade fair and purposeful BioPartnering brokerage event which has a proven track record in bringing people together in technical match ups to do business."

BioWales 2010 will feature:                                                       

•  a conference programme
•  a BioPartnering event with pre-arranged, one-to-one brokerage meetings to discuss potential collaboration projects and new technologies
•  an exhibition and networking opportunity to share ideas and build profile

Themes featuring at BioWales 2010 are:

• stem cells
• translational research
• point of care diagnostics
• cancer genetics                                                            
• Futurewatch - a regular annual feature that highlights the next big thing in life sciences                                                                

New for 2010 is a series of workshops built into the programme. These cover the topics of FP7 R&D funding from the EU; finance; and opportunities in Wales.

The BioPartnering event is being co-ordinated by the Enterprise Europe Network, and organisers are looking to emulate last year's event which produced a number of successful collaborations.  

Next year’s conference will be looking at the hot topics in the sector, amongst them the key theme of stem cells industrialisation for drug development and therapy, with a line-up of eminent speakers including:

• Nobel Prize for Medicine winner Professor Sir Martin Evans, Professor of Mammalian Genetics at Cardiff University
• Stephen Minger, Head of Research and Development for Cell Technologies at GE Healthcare
• and Anthony Davies, VP Product Development at Geron

Nobel Laureate Sir Martin was the first to discover the existence of embryonic stem cells in mice and so he is often considered the ‘chief architect’ of stem cell research. In 2007 he was recognised with two colleagues by the Nobel Assembly for ‘a series of ground-breaking discoveries concerning embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals’.

Other themes featuring at BioWales 2010 are:

• Translational research
• Point of care diagnostics
• Cancer genetics
• Futurewatch – a regular annual feature that highlights the next big thing in life sciences
  
  

Event project manager Dr. Sharon Thomas said: “We’ve assembled a high quality programme of speakers from some major companies and academic institutions, covering some very hot topics.

BioWales 2010 will also feature a vibrant trade fair and unmissable brokerage event. The biopartnering event at BioWales has a proven track record in bringing people together in technical match ups to do business. It creates a real buzz of networking and deal making, resulting in direct business, and that has to be good news for this sector in Wales.”